Restaurants in Swellendam

There are plenty of places to eat in Swellendam, although few of the options will blow you away. The Old Gaol (tel. 028/514-3847; daily 8:30am-5pm, dinner Tues-Sat from 6:30pm, summer only) in the Drostdy Museum has long topped the lunch lists, and locals are delighted it's now open for dinner 5 nights a week in summer, too. Lunch features staples such as bobotie, oxtail and homemade chicken pie, but dinner is where it gets interesting: Favorites include the chicken roulade with bree and fig, wrapped in bacon (R85), and the slow-roasted rack of lamb. Locals also love Koornlands (tel. 082/430-8188), housed in a cozy thatched cottage on Voortrek Street, where you can enjoy game dishes such as a crocodile sashibi starter (served with a wasabi sweet soy sauce; R55), springbok or kudu filets, or ostrich lasagna (R75-R125). At the other end of town, Cristiana and Gianni (from Milan) serve up ravioli and gnocchi at the unassuming La Sosta (tel. 028/514-1470; main courses around R100); the Italian dishes incorporate some South African flavors such as game.

Alternatively, just before (or after, if traveling from George) reaching Swellendam on the N2, take the Stormsvlei/Bonnievale turnoff and you'll find Zanddrift Restaurant (tel. 028/261-1167; Sun-Fri 9am-5pm) signposted (also the Breede River Wine Shoppe). Edwina Kohler is somewhat brusque (how else to describe someone who has a sign up reading TODAY'S MENU: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT), but she prepares wonderful home-cooked food in a garden setting. The most convivial place to dine at night is still Herberg Roosje (review below); for finer dining, try the dining room at the Klippe Rivier Country House.